MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 04-08-2006

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Hello, everybody! We're home again, and presently getting over the wonderful blessing of stomach flu we picked up along the way. Nasty. Our meeting at First Baptist Church of Vilonia (ironically located in Vilonia, AR) went great. Their children's church, called Kidz Zone, was just brilliant. The whole room was done up with maps, pictures, and information from the various African fields in attendance. Great fun! We had a great time, and the church is evidently going to support us as well.

Our next meeting was in Heritage Baptist Church in Chattanooga, TN, with Pastor Dan Watters went very well. We all got to preach and show our slides and what not, and Ron Seals spoke on Sunday. We stayed at the Lodge at BIMI World Headquarters and got some good rest, as least, as much as you can with puking children. We visited the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, which was a big hit with the young'uns. We have a meeting in Bridgeton, MO in Faith Baptist Church (Pastor Dan Gonnerman) tomorrow. Pray that all would go well and that we would have a good meeting. Pray that everyone would be well, and stay well for the forseeable future. Pray that we'll be able to minister to everybody.

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 03-21-2006

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Hi, ya'all! Our conference last week in Arnold Baptist Tabernacle (Pastor Jim Beller) went well. We had some great preaching, and great fellowship with the church. They voted to take us on for support the same day, which is tremendous. We're in Anderson, South Carolina in Oakwood Baptist Church (Pastor Brent Armstrong) at the moment. The conference is going great. This is the church that sent a team of 18 men to Uganda last year to put a roof on the orphanage, and get it wired for electricity. I've just finished watching the video they produced about it. What a blessing! I'll be encoding it in Quicktime and uploading it to the website soon, so stay tuned. Kyle arranged this, and a meeting in Vilonia, AR before he went into the hospital. We had plans to attend these meetings together. I really thought I was doing better, but being here brings it all back. It's hard at times, but it's refreshing to witness the evident love of the Pastor and people for the nation of Uganda, and for Kyle, and for Debbie. They flew her down for the meeting on Sunday, and presented her with a check for $10,000 for the Soroti Orphanage Assistance Project, which was raised entirely by their Christian School students. We were real glad we could be here with Debbie to lend comfort and support, because while it was hard on us, it was worse for her. Everybody loved on her, though, and that made it easier.

We finish up tomorrow, and will begin driving to Vilonia on Thursday for their conference (First Baptist Church of Vilonia, Pastor John Hamby). Pray for our travels, and that we'll get support from these great churches.

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 03-07-2006

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Greetings! Our trip home from Georgia last week was uneventful, albeit very quiet. The kids, except for Gaelin, all got stomach flu, which ran its course the day before, leaving them in zombie-like condition for the drive home. We had to postpone the twins' birthday celebration 'til their digestive systems healed up enough to tolerate food. Terrible stuff that's apparently making the rounds. We had a good meeting in Lighthouse Baptist Church in Columbus, GA (Pastor Marty Wynn). Pastor Boutwell from Immanuel Baptist Church in Kenai, AK was the speaker. I had met the two of them at Bro. Boutwell's church during a trip I made up to Alaska back in Fall of 2004. Bro. Wynn was kind enough to have us in for a meeting also. It was good to be able to introduce the family to the Boutwells, since I had to fly solo when last I went up to Alaska, and their church recently began supporting us. We're planning to drive (yes drive) up to Alaska in 2007, and Bro. Boutwell's going to help us get into a string of churches along the way, as well as some of the churches I didn't have time to visit last time. I'd like the family to be able to see Alaska, and meet our supporting churches up there before we go to Africa, since it will be some time before we get back on furlough to do so.

Our meeting in Bethany Baptist Church in Ava, MO (Pastor Sorenson) also went well. We had a full day in which to visit and minister to the people there. While in the area, we took the time to drive to Mansfield, MO, and visited the Laura Ingalls Wilder home and museum. This is the house where her and Almonzo lived out the remainder of their lives, and where she wrote the now famous Little House books. They had a bunch of family heirlooms and artifacts that were mentioned in the books, like the family bible, and Pa's fiddle, on display. It was pretty cool, since both Anna and I grew up reading those books. Well worth a visit.

This weekend we'll be in Arnold, MO with Pastor Jim Beller, in Arnold Baptist Tabernacle for their missions conference. Looking forward to that. Bro. Beller is the fellow who wrote America in Crimson Red, his excellent history of the Baptists in America. Pray for the meeting, that all will go well, and that we'll be a blessing. Pray for our travels, and our health. Pray for our home church, Grace Baptist Church, which is having a revival meeting Sunday through Wednesday, that God will work in people's lives, and that our church will experience God's reviving presence.

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 02-21-2006

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Greetings, everyone! We attended Kyle Guimon's funeral on Friday. It went very well. There were over 300 people in attendance. Many of these were pastors from all over America from Kyle's supporting churches. Walnut Ridge, AR really turned out to honor Kyle. The state patrol shut down main street, and gave the lengthy funeral procession to the local cemetery a full escort. All in all, it was a great day of honor and love for Kyle Guimon, God's faithful servant, and my friend. I never thought the day would come any time soon that I'd be burying my friend and brother. Now that it has arrived, I am ever more resolved to get to Uganda, and continue the work he started there. Be in prayer for Debbie and Matthew, and for all of us who are grieving for Kyle. Pray for Uganda. God has opened a gap in Uganda, and it needs to be filled. Pray for us, that we will be able to get to Uganda swiftly, to fill the gap, and to continue what Kyle began, namely, the great work of reaching the people of Uganda with the Gospel.

We will be driving down to Columbus, GA on Thursday for a missions conference in Lighthouse Baptist Church, with Pastor Marty Wynn. Pray for our travels.

God’s In Control

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This was sent to me by Debbie Guimon, Kyle's wife. I am forwarding it to you all, for those who need it.

James Huckabee
Missionary to Uganda

Kyle has often said, "What are you going to do, threaten me with heaven? Then I'll just get to bow at the feet of Jesus and thank Him for saving me and keeping my ornery soul out of hell." Well, I guess that's what he's doing now. On Sunday, I was alone at the hospital with Kyle a lot and God gave me a lot of hugs that evening. A group of church members from Walnut Ridge came over after church to visit in the waiting room and then a dear friend called and said she was on her way to stay with me overnight and on Monday. She arrived about 11 and Monday morning about 3 am while we were sleeping in the waiting room recliners, two nurses came in and woke us up. They told me that Kyle's heart had stopped and that they were doing CPR to get it started again. I was shocked and almost panicky. We immediately tired to call some people to pray fervently. Later on Monday, I found out that they had worked on him for a long time and finally gave up when the doctor told them to stop CPR. As they were straightening up the room a little, someone glanced up at the monitor and said they had a pulse and blood pressure! The nursing supervisor said she'd never seen anything like that. His heart stopped twice, but they got it going with medicine. The ventilator was doing all the breathing for him. The nurses let me stay in his room all day Monday for which I was so thankful. They told me that he would not live without dialysis, but he might not live through it. Many people prayed during the 3 hours he received it, and God let him make it through. They started very slowly decreasing the medicines that they had given him to get his heart beating and his heart rate and blood pressure stayed in ranges that were acceptable. I helped the nurses watch the time to remind them of when to turn the medicine down another notch, thankful to have something to do to help. We talked to Kyle as if he could hear us not knowing if he could or not since he couldn't respond. I read Psalm 27 and 91 to him. My friend had planned to go home Monday, but decided to spend the night again and go Tuesday morning instead. Kyle's parents stayed in a room in the hospital annex, and their pastor and his associate decided to stay all night in the waiting room recliners, too. I went to get blankets for them, and before I got back his heart had stopped again. This time they worked for 35 minutes and got nothing but flat line. The doctor who worked on him and my nurse friend and doctor friend who were with me, all 3 assured me that there was nothing else they could do. He was in heaven. The pastors took Bob and Nedra home and Alyson and I finished the night in their room. I cried and slept and showered, then we came back to Kyle's parents' home in Walnut Ridge. We had to race to get an obituary written by the weekly newspaper's deadline. I'm pasting the obituary below so you can read it for funeral information. Then I knew I had to let you all know what was going on so I'm writing this now. We go to the funeral home at 10 tomorrow morning to make the final arrangements. For those of you who want to come for the funeral, I will include motel arrangement information below. For anyone flying in, the Memphis airport is probably the closest, about 1 ½ hours away. We are also having an additional visitation at Gethsemane Baptist Church at 12 noon on Friday before the funeral for those who want to drive in from out of town Friday morning. Even though we are requesting that memorials be sent to SOAP instead of sending flowers, I know some people want to send flowers anyway. So I'll put local florist info below as well. If you want to send cards, the mailing address here at KyIe's parents' is PO Box 324, Walnut Ridge, AR 72476. The delivery address is 238 Robin Lane. I'm still thinking maybe I'll wake up and find out this is a horrible dream. Matthew will be here soon with our pastor and his wife from St. Louis. God knew just where he needed to be for just the right people to help him through this. Kyle's parents are having a hard time My sister and some of my dad's friends arranged to stay with Dad so that my mom could come up today. She'll go home tonight. Dad was so extremely close to Kyle that it is very, very hard on him not to be here. He says he will come for the funeral, but he can't travel yet. Please pray for all of us. I'm too overwhelmed to think. I greatly appreciate all of your prayers.
Love,
Debbie

Motel Info:
Phillips Motel on Hwy 67 in Walnut Ridge
870-886-6767
$30 to $34
They have no non-smoking rooms but say they are clean. They have plenty of Rooms for Wednesday and Thurs. but are booked pretty full Fri & Sat.

The next 3 hotels are in Pocahontas which is about a 15 minute drive from Walnut Ridge.

Scottish Inns on Hwy 67 in Pocahontas
870-892-4527
Ask for Jim Wilson and tell him it's for the funeral
2 beds $44
1 queen $38
5 big rooms $54
15% off if more than 5 rooms

Cottonwood Inn on Hwy 67 in Pocahontas
870-892-2581
2 people $54.88
1 person $44.75

Days Inn on Hwy 67 in Pocahontas
870-892-9500
all rooms double or single $69.30 + tax with discount

Florist info:
The Flower Basket 870-886-6100
Lady Bug 870-886-6628
Hoxie Florist 870-886-5246

Walnut Ridge, AR.

Dr. Robert Kyle Guimon, 46, of Walnut Ridge, died Monday, February 13, at St. Bernard Hospital, Jonesboro, Arkansas.
Dr. Guimon was born October 19, 1959, at Little Rock, Arkansas. He graduated in 1978 from Walnut Ridge High School and from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville with a Ph.D. in Nuclear/Cosmo Chemistry in 1986. He taught Chemistry at Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Missouri, and at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, as well as serving as the Division Chairman of the Natural and Health Sciences Division at Missouri Baptist University in St. Louis, Missouri. He also worked in the United States nuclear weapons program at the Nevada Test Site, and had fellowships working at NASA in Houston, Texas. Dr. Guimon, in 1999, moved to Uganda, Africa as a missionary with Bapitst International Missions, Inc. He started an orphanage and school in Soroti, Uganda as well as establishing churches there.
He was preceded in death by his grandparents, the late Leonard and Lois Counts, and the late Jake and Essie Guimon.
Survivors are his wife, Debbie; son, Matthew; his parents, Bob and Nedra Guimon, and many other relatives and friends.
Visitation will be at Gethsemane Baptist Church, 200 SE 6th Street, Walnut Ridge, on Thursday from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Pastor Ken Spilger, St. Louis, will officiate at the memorial service at the church on Friday at 2:00 p.m. Burial will be in Lawrence Memorial Park Cemetery by House Gregg Funeral Home.
Pallbearers will be Boyd Matthews, Jimmy Burns, James Huckabee, Paul Benny, Ray Stone, and Keith Brand.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial gifts be sent to the Soroti Orphan Assistance Project, BIMI, PO Box 9215, Chattanooga, TN 37412.